When You Are Near
by auntwendythecat
Summary: They always died on the same day... When Freya dies in a brutal and traumatic way, everyone expects Ingrid to be gone by morning. So what happens when the day comes and goes, Ingrid is still living and Freya remains dead?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Do they have to do that?"

Freya stood behind the bar, shaking a cocktail shaker. Wendy was on the other side, waiting for said drinks while trying to not be amused at the fact that Freya had barely looked away from Ingrid and Dash all night.

Wendy looked over her shoulder to where Ingrid, Dash, Fredrick and Caroline were talking and laughing at a table. "What?"

"Act all… couple-y."

Wendy laughed, turning back to face Freya. "I thought you weren't jealous?"

"I'm not." Freya rolled her eyes as she poured out the drinks. "I just don't trust him."

"Mmhmm." Wendy nodded, amused.

Freya was about to retaliate when another customer approached the bar. She signaled for her Aunt to wait before serving him.

"What can I get you?"

The man looked to be in his late forties with a receding hairline and unshaven face. He was a big guy, both in stature and in weight, and he looked generally unkempt.

"How 'bout a number?"

Hearing Wendy laugh beside her, Freya tried not to laugh in his face. "Sorry, bud. Not on the menu tonight. How about a beer?"

She had served him a few times throughout the night and each time he had hit on her in one way or another. She poured him a beer and watched as he moved back to where he was sitting before turning back to Wendy.

"You should take him up on it." Wendy smirked, picking up the two drinks. "You two could double-date with Ingrid and Dash."

Wendy winked at her jokingly before heading back to her table where Tommy was waiting for her.

Freya rolled her eyes at her Aunt's behavior and made her way into the back room to grab another bottle of tequila.

Killian looked up from the clipboard he was writing on when Freya entered. "How's it going?"

"Huh?"

Killian smirked knowingly. "You're a terrible actor. You think I haven't noticed the tension between you, your sister and my brother tonight? I don't think you've said more than two words to them since they got here."

"Not true." Freya scoffed, faking her innocence. She grabbed a bottle and went to leave. "I took their order when they got here!"

Killian laughed after her before returning to inventory.

"Hey, honey." Wendy smiled widely as she and Tommy approached the bar. "We're going to head home."

Freya smirked, joking with her. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Wendy, but I could have sworn I haven't seen you at _our_ home in almost a week now."

Tommy laughed from behind her and Wendy tried to hide her smirk. "Yeah…"

"I'll see you later." Freya laughed, leaning over the bar to return Wendy's kiss to her cheek. "Have fun you two!"

"God knows at least one of us should." Freya said under her breath once they had left.

Freya spent the next couple of hours watching Ingrid's table. Whenever Ingrid or Dash approached the bar, Freya would duck into the back room and let Killian handle their order. Fredrick had assured her earlier that they were just hanging out as friends but it looked more like a double date to Freya and she wasn't ready for the ensured awkwardness that would occur. Maybe if she had spent a little less time focusing on Ingrid and Dash, she would have noticed a certain customer watching her all night.

"Enjoy." Freya said as she placed two freshly made drinks on a table.

She picked up a few empty glasses from another table and made her way back to the bar, only to be stopped when she felt a hand on her butt.

"Hey!" Freya yelled, jumping away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The man grabbed her arm and pulled her close despite the fight Freya was putting up. "Been tryin' to talk to ya' all night, darlin'. Bought time you gave me a shot."

Freya dropped the glasses and tried to pull out of his grip but the man pulled her closer and drunkenly forced a kiss to her lips.

"Hey!" The man was pulled off her a second later. "Get off of her!"

Ingrid pulled Freya back protectively as Dash and Fredrick pulled the man off of her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Fredrick pushed the man back until he was cornered against a table.

It didn't go unnoticed to the rest of the bar and Freya could feel everyone's eyes switching between her and the man. Instinctively, she moved closer to Ingrid.

"Answer me!" Fredrick demanded with Dash close behind him.

Freya knew that they were making a scene and that was the last thing she wanted. "Fredrick, stop."

Dash turned to her but Fredrick kept his attention on the man. Finally, Killian stepped in and approached the group, nodding to the cell phone in his hand. "I've got the cops on the line."

"No, please, don't." Freya pulled out of Ingrid's grasp. She was already embarrassed enough, the last thing she wanted to do was have the police show up and cause a further scene. "Just kick him out?"

Fredrick and Dash exchanged a glance before reluctantly agreeing. They forced the man out the front door. "If you touch my sister again, I will kill you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Freya forgot about frustration for a moment and let Ingrid check her over before the redhead wrapped her in a hug. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Killian made his way over to her, closely followed by Fredrick, Dash and Caroline.

"Yeah." Freya nodded, despite the fact that her heart was still pounding in her chest. She squeezed Ingrid's hand reassuringly. "I'm good."

"Maybe we should take you home?" Ingrid offered, looking to Dash.

Freya shook her head before he could respond, forcing a smile. "Seriously, guys, I'm fine." She nodded back to the bar. "I have to get back to work."

Ingrid reluctantly let her go and Freya could feel all four of their eyes burning into her back as she bent down to pick up the broken glass. Thankfully, Killian joined her a second later.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He looked concerned as he began to pick up the glass with her. "Your sister could take you home. I can cover tonight."

Freya shook her head and forced a smile. "No, it's okay. I'm fine."

Killian wasn't convinced but let it drop nonetheless. A moment later he stood up, gripping his hand. "Damn it!"

"What happened?" Freya stood up quickly and grabbed his hand as Dash and the rest of the group came over to them.

Killian pulled his hand back and grabbed a towel from behind the bar to wrap it in. "I think I cut it on some glass or something."

"Let me look." Dash took his brother's hand and gently unwrapped the towel, noting how much it was bleeding. "You need stitches."

Killian looked at Freya before responding. He could see she was still visibly shaken and there was no way he was going to leave her there to handle to customers alone.

"It's fine." Killian pulled his hand back and wrapped it tighter. "The bleeding's stopped already."

None of the group looked convinced but Killian didn't leave it open to discussion, despite Dash's protests. He finished picking up the glass and returned to behind the bar with Freya following him.

"You should really get that checked out."

"What?" Killian smirked teasingly. "You doubt my brother's ability to practice medicine?"

Freya smiled at that comment and after another reassuring smile from Killian, she let it go. Killian made his way into the back room and Freya tried to busy herself with serving customers and meaningless tasks for the next couple of hours.

Ingrid had wanted to do more. She had wanted to take Freya home early and make sure that she was truly okay while Dash took Killian to the emergency room. However, both Freya and Killian were incredibly stubborn, and after a few hours, Ingrid tried to convince herself that Freya was okay. Her instincts were shouting at her differently but Freya's forced reassurance and tenacity convinced her otherwise.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you home?"

Freya rolled her eyes but smiled reassuringly nonetheless. "For the hundredth time, I'm fine."

Ingrid wanted to protest. She knew her sister well enough to know that she was still shaken. However, Dash was standing beside her and it was putting an awkward dampen on their evening.

"If you're sure…?

Freya forced a smile and squeezed her sister's hands over the counter. Despite her feelings about Dash, Freya was happy Ingrid was still her usual, overprotective self. "I am. I promise."

"Okay…" Ingrid finally let it side, frowning with reluctance. "Lunch tomorrow? We'll talk?"

Freya had intended to let the tension between them remain until Ingrid broke things off with Dash but after tonight's events, she could do with a couple of hours of sisterly-bonding. "Sure. Call me?"

Ingrid nodded and squeezed Freya's hands once more before letting go. "I love you."

Freya rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Love you too."

Freya watched them leave and noted that Dash placed his hand on Ingrid's lower back seconds before they exited. It made her mad, yes, but she didn't feel the same frustration she felt before. All she felt was concern for Ingrid and fear about Dash.

The rest of the night finished up uneventfully. By the early hours of the morning, the customers had all cleared out and Freya and Killian were finishing up. Eva had shown up half an hour earlier but Killian hadn't been ready then. The injury to his hand was making him work at half-speed which was frustrating to both Eva and Freya. All Freya wanted to do was go home, have a shower and crawl into bed.

"You should go home." Freya said to Killian, nodding to where Eva was sitting solo at a table. "Take care of that hand."

"No, Freya, we've still-"

Freya shook her head, smiling. "There's no point in both of us being here. Go."

Eva came over, apparently hearing their conversation, and Killian looked like he was considering it. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Freya nodded. "I've just got to restock a few things and take the trash out then I'm done. Go home, seriously."

"I should stay."

"It's okay. Honestly." Freya laughed but shook her head. "Believe it or not but before you came back to work here, I actually did closes by myself."

"Come on." Eva spoke up, taking Killian's hurt hand in her own. "We should re-dress that bandage anyway. She'll be fine."

Killian hesitated but eventually gave in. "If you're sure?"

"I am." Freya nodded and smiled. It was sweet of him to stay but she could honestly use the alone time.

Killian grabbed his jacket from behind the counter and swung an arm around Eva's shoulders. "Thanks. I owe you one."

Freya smiled at him and politely said goodbye to Eva before watching them leave. She was honestly glad that they were gone; after tonight, she really didn't need to watch Killian and Eva on top of everything.

Freya set about finishing her tasks. She restocked all the items at the bar and finished off Killian's inventory and orders before making her way to the counter and gathering up the trash bags.

She gathered them all before making her way out the back door to where the trashcans were.

After dumping them, Freya turned back to enter the bar but was stopped when someone stepped in front of her.

"We're closed." Freya smiled politely and tried to make her way back inside but was blocked by the same man from earlier.

"I know, darlin'." The man smiled greedily at her, looking her body over. "I was hopin' you and I could have some fun."

Freya forced a smile, trying to remain polite. "Sorry, bud. Maybe another time."

"I don't think so, hun." The man stepped in front of her again and cornered her between the trashcans and the wall.

"Look…" Freya started, trying to fake confidence. "I've got a guy inside helping me clean up. He's going to come check on me if I don't go back."

"You mean that guy who left you alone for that cute lil' thing?" The man laughed, moving in closer. "Well I could'a sworn they left a while ago… Your not tryin' lie to me, are ya', hunny?"

Freya didn't know what to do. Physically, she couldn't move and her mind was blank when it came to spells. Fear blanketed her.

"My, uh, my sister is on her way to pick me up." She finally tried.

"Good." The man smirked, running a hand up Freya's leg and unbuttoning the buttons to her jeans. "Maybe she'll join us."

Freya shuttered and tried to force herself up further against the wall to escape him. "Please, don't."

The man ignored her begging and slipped a hand down Freya's pants. Freya began to cry but couldn't bring herself to move. It was like she didn't have any power; he was double the size of her and she was crippling in fear.

When the man began to kiss her neck, Freya decided it was the perfect time to try to get away. She kneed him in the groin and was about to get away when the man put his arm to her throat.

He tightened it so she couldn't breathe, clearly angry. Pressing her up against the wall, the man held his arm to her neck and watched as she tried to get away.

Freya couldn't breathe and she fought furiously against the man, scratching and hitting like her life depended on it. To be honest, it did.

She could feel herself growing dizzy and weak, but she could also feel the man's hand running up the inside of her leg. She tried desperately to recall any of the spells she had been taught but was drawing up a blank.

The last thing Freya heard before she passed out was the man whispering in her ear about what a good time they would have, and the feeling of his hands running over her body.

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Ingrid and Dash were making out on his couch, the fireplace burning in the background. The drinks they had consumed throughout the night had given her more confidence than she expected. She wasn't drunk or confident enough, however, when Dash suggested they move it to the bedroom.

"Dash… Stop. I can't." Ingrid pulled back embarrassed and couldn't meet Dash's concerned gaze.

"It's okay." Dash reassured, running a hand up and down her arm comfortingly. The last thing he wanted was to push her.

"No, it's not." Ingrid shook her head, rambling. "I mean, it is. Of course it is. I'm sorry, I want this, I do. I mean, eventually. Or soon. I don't know. It's just- It's Freya. She's barely talking to me as it is and I just don't feel comfortable doing this… without her permission. I mean, we don't need her permission or anything but it's-"

"Ingrid, it's okay." Dash smiled reassuringly, cupping the side of Ingrid's face. "I get it."

"I'm sorry." Ingrid shook her head, still not meeting his gaze.

"It's okay." Dash forced Ingrid to look at him, smiling reassuringly. "I promise."

Ingrid blushed but nodded nonetheless. She couldn't help it; she felt so at ease with Dash after everything they had been through.

"Do you think you could drop me home?" Ingrid asked after a few moments.

"Of course." Dash placed a gentle kiss to her forehead before standing up and offering a hand out to her. "Come on."

Ingrid let herself be led to the car. She was embarrassed, but at the same time, it only made her see Dash more positively. He certainly was a gentleman.

They made easy small talk during the car ride. Ingrid's apartment was on the other side of town to Fairhaven so it was a little bit of a drive.

Dash slowed down as they approached The Bent Elbow, his brow furrowing in confusion. "The lights are still on."

"And Freya's car is still there." Ingrid looked at the bar after Dash suddenly changed the subject. She grabbed her phone out of her bag and dialed Freya's number. "Pull over."

Dash watched her expectantly as Ingrid spoke to the ringing line. "Come on, Freya, pick up, pick up."

Ingrid couldn't help it; something was wrong. "No answer. I need to see if she's still here."

Dash pulled up by the sidewalk and was out of the car almost as quick as Ingrid was. He followed her to the front door of the bar and watched as she grew even more concerned when the place wasn't locked up.

"Freya?" Ingrid made her way into the bar with Dash at her heels. Her phone was redialing Freya's number as she rushed into the back room to check if her sister was there. "Freya?"

Ingrid looked at Dash, concern written all over her face. Dash pulled out his cell and quickly dialed Killian. There conversation was short and consisted only of Dash asking if Freya had been left alone to close the bar.

"She's not here!" Ingrid was clearly panicking after checking out the back room and the restrooms. "And she's not answering her cell. Something isn't right."

"I'm sure she's here somewhere." Dash placed a hand on Ingrid's arm and tried to reassure her but he felt the panic too. "Let's check out back then we'll call your house."

Ingrid led the way as they headed to the back door and made their way into the parking lot. It was empty of cars and Ingrid ran a panicked hand through her hair.

She turned back to face Dash when she spotted a lifeless-Freya lying beside the trash cans.

"Freya!"


	2. Chapter 2

**I skipped teaching 3-5y/o ballet today to write this so I hope y'all appreciate it! ;) I have a reason behind everything in this story, whether it be how Freya was killed or the rest of the story- I don't want to give anything away! I'll try to update whenever I can but I have class on top of teaching so my time is limited! But reviews certainly motivate me ;)**

**Also, I'm relying on a couple of years of high school Latin and Google translate to help so I apologize if the Latin passages aren't correct!**

**Chapter Two**

"Freya!"

Ingrid screamed as she dropped to her knees beside Freya's lifeless body and shook her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. Dash was next to her a second later and gently nudged Ingrid out of the way to take over.

"Freya?" Dash shook her forcefully but got no response. "Freya, can you hear me?"

Again receiving no response, Dash opened Freya's mouth, titled her head back and put an ear next to her lips to see if she was breathing. He watched her chest remain still and heard nothing, causing him to pull back.

"She's not breathing." He began chest compressions and tried to ignore Ingrid's scream. "Call an ambulance."

Ingrid shakily pulled her phone out and went to dial 911 but stopped herself and shook her head. "Help me get her up."

"What?"

Dash didn't stop compressions so Ingrid used all of her force to push him out of the way before trying to lift Freya. "My mom can fix this."

Dash caught on, mentally hitting himself for thinking of medicine before magic, and easily scooped up Freya's body in his arms. They ran to the car and Ingrid opened the back door before climbing in herself. A second later, Dash handed Freya to Ingrid and ran to the driver's seat before speeding off.

The drive couldn't have been more than four minutes but to Ingrid, it felt like a lifetime. Freya's head was in her lap and Ingrid couldn't help but cry at the condition of her sister. Freya's face was swollen and covered in fresh bruises, and there was dried blood mattered in Freya's hair from an apparent wound to the back of her head. The worst part, however, were the clear, bruised-in handprints around Freya's arms and neck.

"Sana." Ingrid didn't know what else to do but to try and heal Freya's wounds. It wouldn't get her breathing but it was killing her to see her sister like that. "Sana… Sana, Freya… Sana."

Ingrid watched as the bruises on Freya's body slowly disappeared. She looked like she was just sleeping, despite the dried blood in her hair.

Dash pulled into the Beauchamp's driveway and ran to pick up Freya from the back seat. Ingrid ran ahead of him to the front door, despite the fact that she felt like she was going to collapse at any minute.

"Mom?!" Ingrid yelled as she threw the door open. "Mom?!"

Joanna rushed into the foyer a second later, clearly panicked. The second she saw Freya, Joanna felt like she was going to be sick.

"What happened?" Dash laid Freya down on the floor and resumed CPR, and Joanna was next to her body in seconds.

"We just found her."

Dash breathed for her twice before speaking as he did compressions. "She's not breathing."

"Fredrick!" Joanna called upstairs before signaling for Dash to move. "Move."

She closed her eyes and held her hands over Freya's body, chanting. "Sana respirato. Sana respirato." She tried it over and over again, growing more panicked by the second. "Spirant… Spirant, Freya… Sana respirato."

Dash was holding Ingrid back as she covered her mouth and sobbed when Fredrick rushed in shirtless with Caroline behind him wearing only said shirt.

"Oh my god."

Caroline whispered and covered her mouth before Fredrick pushed her back into the other room. They could overhear him telling her she needed to go as she tried to figure out what was going on. Nonetheless, he returned a moment later alone and fell to his knees on the other side of Freya.

"What happened?"

Joanna didn't answer, her entire concentration on Freya. Fredrick turned to face Ingrid and Dash when he got no response, repeating. "What happened?!"

Ingrid shook her head, unable to talk. Dash spoke up although his eyes, like Ingrid's, remained fixed on Freya. "She was behind the bar. Someone attacked her. She wasn't breathing when we found her."

Fredrick turned back to Freya and Joanna, worry and fury written all over his face. "Mom, let me try."

Joanna didn't answer and refused to pull away so Fredrick gently gathered her hands and lowered them in her lap. He rubbed his own hands together and placed one on Freya's forehead and the other on her stomach before closing his eyes and chanting mentally.

"Call Wendy."

Joanna's voice was a whisper and caught with tears but both Ingrid and Dash heard her. When Ingrid remained frozen in place, Dash pulled Ingrid's cell phone out of her pocket and speed-dialed Wendy.

None of the Beuchamp's really heard what Dash was saying. All of them were completely fixed on Freya. Nonetheless, Wendy arrived less than ten minutes later.

"Oh my god." Wendy's eyes widened at the scene in front of her as she entered the house. "What happened?!"

None of them answered her. They didn't need to. Despite not knowing the circumstances, it was clear what was going on.

Joanna reached a shaky hand out and cupped the side of Freya's face. Fredrick was still in position and although the bottom of his hands were glowing with a yellow light, nothing was working on Freya's end.

"Fredrick…"

Joanna finally spoke up, silent tears running down her cheeks. Her voice was shaky and thick with grief and tears. "Stop."

Fredrick hesitated for a few moments but eventually pulled away. He covered his mouth and began to sob while Wendy looked away and tried to hide her own tears.

"What?" Ingrid's eyes widened and she looked between her family members. "No! What are you doing? Don't stop!"

She dropped down next to Freya and pushed Fredrick out of the way, taking over the position he had been in before and repeating the chants her mom had been saying earlier.

They watched her for an agonizing few minutes, all crying, before Joanna finally took a hold of Ingrid's hands.

"She's gone, baby. There's nothing we can do." She whispered.

Ingrid looked at her mom in shock for a few moments before shaking her head and refusing to accept what she was being told. However, one look down at Freya's lifeless body and Ingrid knew they were right.

Ingrid's heart broke and her cries filled the house as she gently lifted Freya into her arms, gripping her tightly and burying her face in her hair.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I can't remember if Dash knows about the curse or not, but for the sake of the story, neither he nor Killian do.**

**Chapter Three**

Ingrid's quiet sniffles filled the otherwise silent room. It had been a few hours since Freya died and in that time, they had moved to Joanna's bedroom.

Fredrick had easily carried his twin sister's body up the stairs and placed her gently on Joanna's bed. He now stood to the side of the room, arms folded, as he watched his family's interactions.

Ingrid lay on her side next to Freya with her head in Joanna's lap. She held one of Freya's ever-cooling hands to her lips and kissed it.

Joanna sat at the head of the bed and lovingly ran her fingers through Ingrid's hair. Every now and then she would reach across and tuck Freya's hair behind her ear or place a kiss to her forehead. Her tears, while silent, were there.

Wendy sat on the other side of Freya and held her niece's other hand. She ran her other hand up and down Ingrid's arm consolingly.

"What's going to happen?" Ingrid's grief-stricken whisper broke through the silence.

No one knew what she was asking but Wendy was the only one composed enough to respond. "With what, honey?"

Ingrid sniffed and looked up between Joanna and Wendy before slowly rising to sit up. "Now… Me."

Although she wanted to know the answer, Ingrid felt guilty for asking. She had just lost her sister; she shouldn't be worrying about herself. What made her feel even worse was that she wasn't just grieving for Freya; she was grieving for herself too.

Joanna closed her eyes at the reminder that she was about to lose her other daughter too. She drew in a shaky breath before exchanging a look with Wendy.

"It's different each time." Wendy started, reaching across to take Ingrid's hand. "Some times it's straight away, others it takes a while, but it always happens within twenty-four hours."

Ingrid nodded slowly and looked down at Freya as she took in the information. "Will it hurt?"

Joanna and Wendy looked at each other, knowing they couldn't lie to Ingrid.

"We can't answer that, sweetheart."

Fredrick spoke up, his eyes red from crying. "How does it happen?"

All three women turned to look at him as he moved closer to the bed. Wendy spoke up again, knowing Joanna couldn't.

"It changes depending on the situation…" She wasn't sure how to approach the subject. She didn't want Ingrid worrying over something she couldn't control.

"So can't we just keep Ingrid safe until the day is over?"

Wendy shook her head to Fredrick although she was watching Ingrid carefully. "No, it doesn't work like that. It doesn't have to be an accident or an… external force." She settled on rather than saying a murder. "It can be natural."

Dash had explained to Wendy and Fredrick what had happened with Freya before he had left. All three had agreed that Joanna didn't need to know the details about her daughter's death. No mother should hear those kinds of details.

"I need some time alone." Ingrid shakily stood up and stood beside her mom. Joanna was about to argue when Ingrid leant down and hugged her tightly. "Please, mom?"

Ingrid's voice was so lost, completely filled with grief and fear. Joanna knew she didn't have a choice but to let Ingrid go. Despite the fact that letting Ingrid leave her sight was the last thing she wanted, Joanna knew that wasn't fair to Ingrid.

Joanna gripped her daughter back tightly and hesitantly nodded into her shoulder, a sob catching in her throat. "I love you so much, Ingrid."

"I love you too." Ingrid didn't want to let go but knew she had to get away from the house for a while.

Ingrid hesitated for a few moments before pulling away although she grabbed Joanna's hand in the process. "So, which one of you is going to follow me?"

Wendy, Joanna and Fredrick all exchanged a look. Of course that was the intention but they didn't expect Ingrid to be aware of it.

Knowing that her mom was struggling just as much as she was and that Wendy would be best for her right now, Ingrid turned to Fredrick. "Coming, little brother?"

Fredrick couldn't help but let a small, sad smile slip through. He nodded, kissed Joanna's cheek and left the room.

Ingrid turned to face Wendy who had risen from the bed and was holding her arms out for her. Ingrid quickly closed the space and hugged her tightly.

Wendy ran a hand over Ingrid's hair as Ingrid buried her head in her shoulder. "I love you, sweet girl."

"I love you too, Aunt Wendy." Ingrid nodded into Wendy's shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze before reluctantly pulling back.

Ingrid looked between her mom, aunt and sister once more before heading to the door. "I'll be back soon."

Ingrid and Fredrick walked through the town mostly in silence. Ingrid didn't know where she was going, she just knew that she needed to at least try and compartmentalize what was going on.

She was going to _die_. Die, as in dead. Properly dead… Well, at least until she would be born again but that was something Ingrid couldn't even begin to comprehend. The more she thought about it, the more she grew at peace with the idea. Of course she didn't _want_ to die; she was nowhere near ready to die, but she couldn't even bear the thought of living without Freya. So dying and the _both_ of them being reborn, together, was something that Ingrid thought maybe, if she tried hard enough, she could accept.

"So… You know you're about to die. What do you do?" Ingrid broke the silence as they made their way, unintentionally, through the cemetery. She tried to make light of the situation but her heart wasn't in it.

"Don't joke." Fredrick warned comfortingly, wrapped an arm around Ingrid's shoulders and placing a kiss to the top of her head.

They walked in silence for a little while longer before Ingrid suddenly stopped. "Oh my god, what about Dash? And Barb? She just lost Hudson; she can't lose me too! I'm supposed to be the godmother… And Dash, oh god, what is he going to think? He doesn't know about the curse!"

"Ingrid, calm down." Fredrick stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her arms. "It's okay."

Ingrid shook her head and began to cry once again. "No, it's not."

Fredrick wrapped his arms around his sister and let her cry.

"I don't want to die." Ingrid sobbed into his top. "I just want Freya back. I want things to go back to the way they were."

"Shh…" Fredrick didn't know what to say. He had never experienced the curse first-hand before.

As he let Ingrid slowly calm down, Fredrick led her over to a nearby bench. He lowered them both down but made sure to keep his arms around her.

"Hey…" He whispered, pulling back to look at her. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

"You can't know that."

"Mom and Wendy… they've been through this before." Fredrick tried to be reassuring but he honestly didn't really know what he was talking about. "And so have you and Freya. You may not remember it, but you have, dozens of times over. Every time it works out okay."

Ingrid looked hesitant. She knew he was right but that didn't erase the fear or heartache she felt. She honestly had no idea how her mom had managed to handle the pain of losing them over and over again. She, herself, was barely coping now.

Ingrid shifted closer to Fredrick and leant her head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I need you to promise me something." She whispered after a few moments.

"Anything."

"Tell Dash and Killian about the curse." She felt Fredrick stiffen slightly at the mention of the other men. "They deserve to know."

Before Fredrick could protest, Ingrid continued. "Make sure Barb knows how much I love her and how much I wish I could be there for her baby."

When she felt Fredrick nod, she finished her requests. "And promise that Freya and I will be self-aware next time. Whatever it takes, make sure mom tells us about our powers… And make sure she knows how much we love her."

"I promise."

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Wendy hesitated at Joanna's bedroom door and tried to regain her composure. She had given Joanna some time alone with Freya, not only for Joanna's sake, but also so that she herself could have some time alone to grieve. Joanna was right; each time the girls died, it got a little harder. This time was by far the worst.

Wendy wiped away her tears and drew in a shaky breath before slowly opening the door. Her heart broke even more when she saw Joanna cradling Freya, whispering how much she loved her.

Joanna didn't even look up as Wendy entered, and the younger woman made her way over to stand next to her sister. Wendy placed her hands on Joanna's shoulders and held a kiss to the top of her head.

After a few moments, she pulled back and sat beside her sister, both of them with their concentration on Freya. Joanna looked down at her daughter, her face etched with love and grief. Wendy felt her tears make their way down her face as she looked between her lifeless niece and the agony on her sister's face.

"Joanna…" Wendy whispered, cupping the side of Joanna's head consolingly. "Talk to me."

Joanna covered her mouth to try and stifle a sob but was met with no avail. "I can't do this again."

"Come here…" Wendy whispered, gathering a crying Joanna in her arms. Their bodies rocked with Joanna's heart-wrenching sobs and Wendy felt her heart break even more.

Wendy gently rocked them back and forth, whispering sweet-nothings into Joanna's hair through her own tears. There was nothing Wendy could say to take their pain away. She just knew Joanna, and even herself, might not mentally make it through the curse again.

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Ingrid was exhausted by the time she and Fredrick arrived back. They all were. They made note of the time before Fredrick led Ingrid back up the stairs. It would be any minute now.

The relief on Joanna and Wendy's faces was clear when Ingrid walked through the bedroom door. Joanna was holding Freya and Wendy was sitting on the other side of the bed, soothingly running a hand through her sister's hair as she tried to hide her tears.

Ingrid closed the space quickly as Joanna shifted herself and Freya to make room on the other side of the bed. Wendy stood up, watching as Joanna held both of her daughters on either side and placed a kiss to Ingrid's head.

Time ticked by slowly but no one said anything.

Wendy looked down at her watch before looking back at her sister and nieces. Ingrid was too lost in her own thoughts to notice but Wendy and Joanna both had the same look of confusion on their faces.

It had been over twenty-four hours, so why wasn't Ingrid dead?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Why am I still here?"

Ingrid had asked the question at least a half dozen times over the past couple of hours, growing more and more hysterical as time went on.

Neither Joanna nor Wendy had an answer. It didn't make any sense. The curse should have kicked in and both Freya and Ingrid should be dead by now.

"It doesn't make any sense." Wendy half-answered Ingrid but was talking more to Joanna. "…Maybe it's because of the way she died?"

Joanna shook her head, quickly swiping away a stray tear. "It's never mattered before."

"So why hasn't it kicked in yet?"

Ingrid looked between her mom and aunt, speaking up hesitantly. "What if I killed _myself_?"

"No."

"No way."

"Nobody is doing anything until we have a better understanding about what's going on."

"But how do we do that?" Ingrid was at a loss. "You said it yourself, this has never happened before."

Joanna and Wendy exchanged a look, knowing she was right.

"With my curse and the first few cycles of your mom's, it was a trial and error thing. The first time you and Freya died, we didn't know you were going to come back… Maybe this time it's just taking a little longer."

Joanna knew Wendy didn't actually believe that but it did its job in reassuring Ingrid slightly.

She looked over at Fredrick, noting his downward gaze. He hadn't spoken in a while and she'd originally put it down to grief but now she wasn't so sure.

"Fredrick?"

Joanna spoke up, interrupting everyone. She was watching Fredrick carefully, noting his behavior.

"I'm sorry."

He finally spoke a few seconds later, his eyes and voice caught with tears.

"What did you do?" Wendy looked furious, despite trying to hide it.

"The curse… I removed it." Fredrick shrugged, trying to explain. "Well, from Freya at least."

"What?"

"I didn't think it would work. I thought I found a way to remove the curse but it only worked on one of them… And with everything going on with Ingrid and the mandragora…" He paused. "I chose Freya."

Joanna looked away, Wendy looked shocked, and Ingrid looked a mixture of heartbreak and betrayal.

"Mom, I'm so sorry-"

Wendy stepped in front to stop him from approaching Joanna. "Get out."

"Wendy-"

Wendy was about to respond when Joanna spoke, her tone completely grief-ridden. "Just leave, Fredrick."

Fredrick looked to Ingrid for help but was simply met with an averted gaze. Joanna left the room first and was half way up the stairs when she heard the front door shut.

Neither Wendy nor Ingrid said anything. Ingrid slowly sat down on the couch and buried her head in her hands. A moment later, Wendy was stroking a hand over her hair.

"What can I do?"

Wendy's voice was soft. She was in so much pain and so confused herself, but she couldn't even imagine what Joanna and Ingrid were feeling.

Ingrid turned her head slightly to look at her aunt, her eyes fresh with tears. "Turn back time?"

Wendy didn't respond verbally, instead choosing to sit beside Ingrid and pull her into her arms.

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Wendy had seen her sister grieve at least a dozen times before. She had held her as she cried, listened when she wanted to talk, helped her seek revenge when necessary, and had just simply been there for whatever Joanna needed. However, she had never seen her grieve like this.

Over the past few hours since Fredrick had left, Joanna had completely shut herself off from the world. She had retreated to her bedroom and hadn't appeared since. Both Wendy and Ingrid had been in to check on her at one point or another but Ingrid had been the only one to make any leeway and even that wasn't much.

Wendy knocked gently on Joanna's door as she pushed it open. Joanna was curled on her side, staring at the wall. She didn't even look up as Wendy took a seat on the bed next to her.

"We need your help." Wendy spoke gently, minding her choice of words.

"There's nothing I can do."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. The curse is broken, my daughter is dead." Joanna's tone was so broken and hostile; Wendy had never seen her like this before.

"Joanna, honey, we'll find a way to fix this." Wendy tucked a piece of hair behind Joanna's ear. "I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Joanna…" Joanna didn't say anything so Wendy sighed. "You can't give up."

"I'm not giving up."

"Well you're not doing anything either."

"You think I haven't tried absolutely everything to break that curse?! To keep my girls from dying?!" Joanna snapped suddenly, sitting up. "I have tried every magical way possible to remove it, both white and black magic. And the only thing I know is that once the bond between the girls is broken, there is no way to fix it…" Wendy could tell Joanna was struggling to keep it together. "They won't both die, but they can't be reborn either."

Wendy didn't know what to say. She knew Joanna had tried hundreds of different ways to break the curse but there had to have been something she overlooked. Wendy wasn't ready to accept the fact that Freya might actually be gone for good.

Wendy reached over and squeezed Joanna's hand. They all needed Joanna's help to try and fix the situation but Wendy also knew that she couldn't push her sister either.

"You have people who love and need you." Wendy said gently. "You can't just shut out the world, Jo."

Without another word, Wendy left the room. She didn't have a complete plan but she knew she had to do something. Grabbing everything she needed, Wendy made her way into the dining room.

Ingrid approached the dining room slowly a little while later, watching Wendy.

"What are you doing?" She asked timidly.

"I'm going to summon Freya."


End file.
